Issues

Campaign themes

2011

"In his announcement Mills stated that he would consider an opportunity to serve the people of District 22 an honor since the entire area has so much potential given that the two Parishes, Iberia and St. Martin, have strength in their commonality, both geographically and economically, strong family values, and a strong commitment to faith. Mills added 'this district is fortunate to have two (2) major federal highways, Interstate 10 and Highway 90, the world class Port of Iberia, three (3) major sugar mills, oil and gas resources, the vast Atchafalaya Basin and abundant coastal resources that provide some of the best hunting, fishing, and seafood in the nation, a robust tourism industry, and the historic Bayou Teche that traverses much of the District. We need a Senator that will provide the leadership to take advantage of these resources by helping to create jobs for our families and I want to be that person.' "

Elections

2011 General election

Mills ran for re-election in 2011. He was unopposed in the October 22 primary. Because Louisiana uses a blanket primary system, a candidate can be declared the overall winner of the seat by garnering 50 percent +1 of the vote in the primary. However, if no candidate reaches this threshold, then a general election would have taken place on November 19, 2011 between the top-two vote getters.[3]

2011 Special election

Mills defeated 5 other candidates in the District 22 special election for the Louisiana State Senate. The special election primary took place on January 22. All candidates, regardless of affiliation, appeared on the ballot. Since Mills received more than 50% of the votes, the election will not proceed to a run-off.[4][5]